February update

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Thank you for praying for our family and for the ministry here at Immanuel Mission.  Below is an update on our family and some of the things that we are involved in.

In the Classroom

The students are working on memorizing Romans 5: 6-8.  Pray that these verses will be hidden in the hearts of the students so they truly come to understand what these verses mean.  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We have another new student that transferred in from the local public school.  We were not sure how it would go for him coming in so late in the year.  However he has settled in well and is a polite and cooperative student.  Please pray for him that his heart will be soft to the truth, as he hears the word of God each day.

We have a third grade student who has struggles at home.  This spills over into behavior problems at school.  We have been praying for wisdom and guidance to know how to show her the love of Christ.  In loving her, we need to be careful to not allow her to get away with disobedience or tantrums.  We are very thankful for some progress this month.  The month of January was difficult and exhausting on a daily basis.  Please pray for her to turn to the Lord. 

Sarah would like to find a way to build a closer relationship with the girls in our class, especially with the fourth grade girls .  We are praying about ways to do that, with the goal of keeping the relationship going beyond this year.  

School news

We have seen several answers to prayer recently.  

The Lord provided for the mission to purchase a newer Chevy Express van to bus students to and from school.  This van replaces an older van that was having increasing mechanical issues.  They are still keeping an eye out for another van that can serve as a backup when vans have to be taken off the road for service.  The vehicles take a beating on these unimproved roads.  

The Lord has also provided another long standing need.  With some rearranging of staff we now have a full time maintenance man for the school, Raefer Begaye. Please pray for him as he steps into this full time role.  Also pray for Liz Skillen as she has taken over teaching the P.E. classes that Raefer had been teaching. 

Please continue to pray that the Lord will provide teachers for this upcoming school year.  We are looking for a kindergarten teacher and a teacher who can teach a combined 5th/6th grade class.  

Other Ministry

The M&M’s group (Moms and Munchkins) continues to meet each month.  Last month very few came so we were encouraged to have more come this past week.  Liz Skillen shared the message.  It was an excellent reminder to put the Lord first in everything and to pursue a closer walk with Him.  Please continue to pray for this outreach.    

The Bible study Sarah is doing is going very well and has been a blessing to her personally. 

We made a trip to Winslow, AZ where Matt spoke at Immanuel Bible Chapel.  We thoroughly enjoyed meeting the believers there.  Here at our home assembly, Immanuel Navajo Chapel, Matt enjoys being part of the speaking rotation.  He is teaching through the book of Ephesians.  

We would love to build more relationships with people in the area.  It's hard to find time to reach out when school takes a lot of our time.  We have also been sick a lot since school started.  We are praying and trusting the Lord to lead us in his perfect timing.  I (Sarah) would love to be able to learn some Navajo.  It is a real challenge for me to learn languages in general.  Please pray I can start to pick up a few words and phrases.  

Family News

Our older kids came for a visit over Christmas.  Tim and Lily stayed for 2 weeks, Caleb and Bethany surprised the kids (Matt and I knew) by showing up and staying for 3 days. It was so wonderful to have everyone together for a few days.  It was hard to see them leave, especially for our teens that are here.  They miss their older siblings.  We enjoyed a day trip to the Grand Canyon.  Once again we saw the beauty of God’s creation.  

Our van was off the road again for a couple weeks in early December, but we are thankful that Tim was able to get it up and running while he was here.  We are very thankful that we have not had any issues with the van since.  

Pray for TImothy as he finishes up his final semester at Ethnos 360 Bible institute and makes plans for returning to Nebraska. 

Lily is working at Baker’s Chocolates in Greenwood, Nebraska.  She has been meeting with the believers at Hollywood Heights Bible Chapel in Lincoln (our sending church).  Eventually, Lord willing, she would like to be able to go to Ethnos 360 Missionary Training Center in Missouri.  In the meantime she is helping in the local assembly with the youth group and helping her sister-in-law, Bethany, with a girls Bible study.  

In our last letter we requested prayer for Linia as she makes decisions about next school year.  She has decided to move back to Nebraska and will be looking for a full time job.  She has an interest in a job as a nanny.  If anyone has suggestions or a job lead in that area please let us know.

We would appreciate prayer as we make plans for this summer.  Not only are we wanting to help Linia settle back into life in Nebraska, but we are also making plans for a trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada to visit Sarah’s dad and her sister’s family.  We plan, Lord willing, to travel through Northern Ontario and visit family and friends in the area.  We will be traveling mid-May through mid-June.  Please pray for the details of that trip as we arrange places to speak and prepare a presentation about the work here. 

From mid-June until the end of July, Lord willing, will be spent back in Nebraska.  Matt will be covering speaking at Hollywood Heights Bible Chapel in Lincoln for Bert Mast, who will be travelling to Zambia.  He is hoping to make some needed repairs to the house in Greenwood and prepare for the upcoming school year here at Immanuel Mission.  There are a lot of details and logistics to be figured out.    

Thank you to each of you for your prayers on our behalf.   

Matthew and Sarah Van Essen